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External Evaluation of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication

Aida al-Kaisy, Xavier Lewis Rodriguez, Daniel Skillings

Paris; London: UNESCO; Aleph Strategies Ltd (2026), v, 97 pp.

"THE IPDC IS A UNIQUE STRUCTURE IN THE MEDIA DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM. The IPDC’s core strength and unique contributions to the media development ecosystem lies in its Member State-driven intergovernmental Council decision-making body, coupled with its support to grassroots projects across the globe ... on an annual basis. Interviews consistently highlighted the strong alignment of its normative function with key requirements for a healthy media ecosystem. This includes its work on media viability, which stakeholders noted was particularly timely, coming at a moment when many independent media outlets were facing “existential threats”. The IPDC is also the only Special Account within UNESCO’s CI Sector with an explicit focus on journalism education. Interviewees further emphasised the Programme’s unique position to use its Council to hold Member States to account on issues related to journalist safety. The evaluation also generally found that the IPDC’s normative function and grassroots projects are well aligned. Grassroots projects frequently incorporate and localise UNESCO’s global normative instruments, ensuring that standards and tools are applied in contextually relevant ways. This dynamic is most evident in the area of journalist safety, where the Journalist Safety Indicators have been adapted and applied across multiple national settings. STRONG PERFORMANCE OF THE IPDC’S GRASSROOTS PROJECTS. The projects reviewed primarily contributed to improvements in knowledge, skills and improved practices across a variety of thematics. An important factor is that the IPDC effectively reaches project implementers with access to a diversity of beneficiaries – community, online and traditional media outlets, students, and marginalised groups such as some Indigenous communities in Central America or South-East Asia. Moreover, the IPDC contributes positively to UNESCO Global Priorities, including gender equality and Africa. Projects frequently address women journalists’ safety and participation, and Africa remains a major focus region. IMPROVED PROCESSES THAT ENABLED EFFICIENCY. Field Offices play a critical role in identifying proposals and implementation monitoring, while the Secretariat is widely perceived to be responsive, manage annual calls transparently and consistently, as well as provide effective backstop support to Field Offices. The latter has implemented several reforms recently to improve the efficiency of processes, including an online portal for proposals, and an IPDC/ Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) project database. FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IS A MAJOR RISK TO THE IPDC AND ITS PROJECT IMPLEMENTERS. As the only intergovernmental media development mechanism in the UN system, stakeholders interviewed underlined the importance of its continuity. However, much like other media development initiatives, funding levels have declined since 2020. This has put a strain on resources. In 2024, the Bureau received 117 project proposals but approved 39 (with additional initiatives placed on a reserve list). By comparison, the Bureau approved 86 grassroots projects in 2021. Evaluation participants also pointed to limited funding available to further enhance the IPDC’s contributions to media viability policy and uptake of journalism education curricula. While the Secretariat has the broadest donor base in comparison to UNESCO’s Multi-Donor Partnership on Freedom of Expression and Journalist Safety (MDP) and the GMDF, just four donors provided USD 1 million or more between 2018 and 2025. There is also a perceived ‘competition’ in funding between these three mechanisms. Stakeholders reported that donors often favour vehicles perceived as more flexible and faster to deploy, while the IPDC’s intergovernmental cycle can slow decisions, and politicise normative discussions. At the grassroots project level, partners described post-grant finances as vulnerable, including dependence on short-term and small-scale projects and/or projects downsizing once grants ended. The evaluation found that sustainability planning was often absent or operationally vague among grassroots (despite it being part of IPDC requirements), with plans that assumed follow-on donor funding rather than specifying how activities would be embedded in routine systems and resourced. IMPACT IN CONTEXT: The Challenges of Short-Term Projects in a Worsening Global Climate for Media Freedom While the evaluation found that IPDC interventions did contribute to gains for its beneficiaries, long-term and systematic changes are harder to demonstrate. While IPDC grassroots projects are typically short-term and small-scale and often operate in contexts that are increasingly hostile to independent media, policy and institutional change require sustained engagement over time, and the involvement of stakeholders across civil society and authorities. This points to an area that merits further exploration. The IPDC’s unique position of supporting grassroots projects globally and international media development actors creates an opportunity for the Programme to facilitate connections between stakeholders. LIMITED ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE RESULTS AND IMPACT. The IPDC Secretariat has made notable progress in developing a Results Assessment Framework, aimed at capturing the breadth of IPDC supported activities and consistent with its demand-driven approach. As a result, Performance Indicators are largely activity or output level, such as counting the number of projects implemented broken down by thematic area. The IPDC Secretariat introduced an M&E Framework in 2025 and delivered training for Field Offices and grassroots partners to support its implementation. This includes requirements for projects to include performance indicators and guidance on how to collect more outcome level changes. However, the evaluation found a number of gaps to address. Current grassroots project reporting was typically output focused rather than analytical and providing contributions to outcomes; which is a partially understandable limitation given the short implementation timelines of most projects and limited M&E capacity of some partners. The evaluation also found that Field Offices and grassroots projects likely will not have sufficient resources to implement the new M&E Framework. For example, interviews highlighted that they did not have the knowledge or time to conduct Outcome Harvesting workshops, a suggested tool to collect outcome level changes. The RAF also lacks indicators that capture outcome or impact level changes." (Key findings, pages 2-4) more

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Independent Evaluation of the Media Freedom Coalition

Aida Al Kaisy, Daniel Skillings, Ivana Jiménez Barrios

Paris: Aleph Strategies; Media Freedom Coalition (2025), 62 pp.

"The evaluation found that the MFC has made notable contributions to media freedom and journalist safety over the past five years. It has played a role in encouraging some Member States to strengthen their media freedom policies and legislation. The MFC has also influenced state actors through diplo ... matic and advocacy efforts, maintaining high-level political attention on media freedom. Direct interventions, legal guidance, and engagement with embassy networks have contributed to journalist protection efforts at the local level. Furthermore, the MFC has strengthened multi-stakeholder coordination, bringing together governments, civil society, and legal experts. However, the evaluation also identified several areas for improvement. While the MFC provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation, its engagement with members on domestic media freedom policies is voluntary and lacks a structured approach for supporting and tracking commitments. Joint advocacy statements have a greater impact locally than internationally and are often perceived as lacking boldness and clear outcomes. While the MFC has addressed high-profile cases, its focus has sometimes overshadowed broader, systemic media freedom challenges. Engagement with Rights-Holders and organisations working on the ground has been limited, impacting the relevance and sustainability of its strategies. Coordination and collaboration within the MFC are foundational, particularly through diplomatic networks and the development of emergency visa schemes. However, decision-making is often reactive, affecting stakeholder trust. The MFC’s membership is perceived as predominantly Northern-led, and there is potential to leverage its diverse membership more effectively. Knowledge management and information-sharing need strengthening to ensure a deeper understanding of media freedom issues among Member States. The high-level legal expertise of the HLP is underutilised. Clarity around decision-making processes among Member States varies, influencing trust-based collaboration. While engagement at the local level through embassies is effective, it requires more structured guidance and support. Coordination between Member States, the CN, and the HLP remains limited in some areas. In terms of sustainability, the current governance model, particularly the annual rotation of Executive Group co-chairs, can present challenges for knowledge retention and continuity. Funding modalities are complex, leading to perceptions of uneven distribution and impacting trust and coordination. While the MFC has developed working relationships with similar coalitions, more formalised collaboration could maximise resource efficiency. The limited engagement with Rights-Holders influences the visibility and perceived effectiveness of the MFC’s work." (Key findings and conclusions, pages 2-3) more

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End Term evaluation of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) programme support 2018-2024. Final report

Greg Moran, Marko Gideon

Sundbyberg: Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) (2025), x, 59, 28 pp.

"The Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) was established in 1995 as a self-regulatory body to oversee and promote media ethics and resolve complaints over media practice. MCT’s activities have since expanded to include training and advocacy on laws, policies, and protecting key rights for the media. S ... more

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Getting There Together: A Synthesis of Inter-Agency Programme Evaluations on SDG 5

Ross Tanner, Carol Boender, Paola Vela

New York: UN Women; UNDP; UNFPA; UNICEF; World Food Programme (WFP) (2024), 32 pp.

"The evaluations point to several dimensions of the strategic significance of joint work. Programmatically, joint programmes enable a more multidimensional and holistic approach to addressing gender inequality. They enhance the catalytic role of the UN by increasing the visibility of and advocacy on ... more

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Impact Assessment: Rural Household Devices Project Program of the Uganda Communications Universal Service Access Fund (UCUSAF)

Evelyn Namara, Ingrid Brudvig

Alexandria, VA; Kampala: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership; Uganda Communications Commission (2024), 46 pp.

"The impact assessment underscores the commendable achievements of the Rural Household Devices project. By December 2023, the initiative had successfully reached 54 districts and impacted 10,706 households. The outcomes are multifaceted and transformative, with a substantial number of beneficiaries ... more

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Edutainment and the prevention of under-age marriages: The evaluation of a television series designed to promote positive role models in Bangladesh

Muhammed Nazmul Islam, Atonu Rabbani, Animesh Talukder, Rubaiya Riya Siddiqua, Sanjana Nujhat, Mushfiqur Rahman, Malabika Sarker

Journal of Development Effectiveness, volume 16, issue 2 (2024), pp. 159-186

"Edutainment intervention is a popular and inexpensive behavioural change communication toolkit to raise positive social norms through broadcast media. We evaluated a 26-episode nationally broadcasted television series targeted to improve attitudes towards preventing child marriage in Bangladesh. We ... more

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Building Trusted Media in a Fragile Setting: An Evaluation of Radio Ndeke Luka in Central African Republic

Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz

Michigan State University (2024), 8 pp.

"Can the impact of a news radio station on a highly vulnerable population in a crisis-affected country be measured? The installation of new FM transmitters for Radio Ndeke Luka in Beloko, Birao, and Obo in the Central African Republic offered an opportunity to carry out a field study measuring the i ... mpact of our radio station before and after its introduction in these remote regions of the country. The results of this study reveal a tangible impact and a shift in listeners’ perceptions, particularly regarding misinformation. The Central African Republic, marked by a weak central state, widespread poverty, and recurring intercommunal conflicts, is particularly vulnerable to misinformation. Radio Ndeke Luka, a project of Fondation Hirondelle in CAR, plays a crucial role by broadcasting reliable news 24/7 in both French and Sango across the country. Thanks to funding from the European Union, new FM transmitters for RNL were installed between December 2021 and April 2022 in remote areas of the Central African Republic, specifically in Beloko, Birao, and Obo. This provided an opportunity to assess the radio’s impact on local populations before and after the installation. Investigators from the local network of IMMAR Research & Consultancy followed a protocol developed by Dr. Jeff Conroy Krutz, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University. This protocol ensured a random selection of adult participants and gender balance. In total, over 1,700 people were interviewed before the transmitters were installed, and more than 1,800 afterwards, within the same communities across the three localities. Measured Impacts Increase in Audience: RNL became the most listened-to radio station in the targeted areas within months of the new transmitters going live. Relevance and Impartiality: 52% of listeners considered RNL’s programs essential to their daily lives. Trust and impartiality scores also improved between the pre- and post-launch periods. Trust in RNL far exceeded that of other locally accessible radio stations. Combating Misinformation: Residents of the three areas reported significantly greater confidence in their ability to distinguish fact from fiction after the installation of the transmitters, which facilitated access to RNL programs." (https://www.hirondelle.org) more

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Evaluation of the BMAP-Forward Activity

Sarah Eissler, Micheal Buehler, Brenda Pearson, Miodrag Bogdanovic, Anida Soko, Arben Qirezi

Washington, DC: USAID; Integra Government Services International (2024), 165 pp.

"Activity Description: The Balkan Media Assistance Program to Foster Organizational Readiness While Advancing Resilient Development (BMAP-FORWARD) is a $13 million regional Activity (2022-2028) that aims to strengthen the independence and resilience of media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo ... , Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Evaluation Purpose: USAID/Europe and Eurasia Bureau requested a mid-term performance evaluation of BMAP-FORWARD to understand which approaches, tools, and interventions are successfully contributing to planned outcomes according to the Activity’s three key objectives: 1) Increase strategic business practices of key media partners to operate as viable enterprises and better understand their markets and audiences; 2) Reinforce the ability of content producers to produce data-driven content, engage wider audiences, improve digital security efforts, and expand reach across the region; and 3) Foster stronger partnerships between media outlets and the technology, commercial, and entrepreneurial sectors to advance solutions on common challenges in the information space. Evaluation Design: Mixed methods and non-experimental evaluation design approaches, including Expert Consultations and Outcome Harvesting, were employed to collect and analyze primary and secondary data, including reviewing 140 documents, conducting 51 key informant interviews with experts, 47 in-depth interviews with recipients of assistance, an online Expert Survey (n=63), and conducting 13 interviews and an online validation survey (n=48) to substantiate outcome stories. All data were triangulated to inform the evidence base to develop each finding and conclusion. Key Findings: BMAP-FORWARD’s tailored and localized approach is a key strength of its ability to provide effective, useful, and timely assistance, which has strengthened Key Media Partners’ (KMPs’) shift towards strategic planning, ability to pursue diversified revenue sources, improve content production and technology use to engage wider audiences, produce data-driven content using new software, and engage in cross-border collaborations. BMAP-FORWARD assistance has strengthened KMPs’ digital security practices and protocols, although with room for improvement to sustain this support. While BMAPFORWARD has made inroads to foster partnerships between media and non-traditional actors, key factors inhibit progress towards this Activity Objective (Objective 3). Key Recommendations: BMAP-FORWARD should: 1) continue to employ the highly tailored approach to learn KMPs’ needs, co-create solutions and action plans, identify resources to implement solutions, and present new ideas; 2) consider providing more opportunities for intentional engagement for peer-to-peer learning for newsroom staff from different outlets, including non-KMPs and different media across the region; 3) consider investing in strengthening in-house expertise capacity or identify long-term solutions for each KMP to navigate the evolving digital security challenges; and 4) consider designing and marketing sessions at forums geared towards facilitating potential partnerships between private sector actors and KMPs, which can be followed by ongoing assistance to support KMPs in navigating how to structure partnerships." (Abstract) more

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How Do We Know What Works in Preventing Violent Extremism? Evidence and Trends in Evaluation from 14 Countries

Sarah Bressan, Sophie Ebbecke, Lotta Rahlf

Berlin: Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI) (2024), 70 pp.

"In response to high-profile attacks by violent extremists, the field of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) has drawn increasing attention and funding since the early 2000s. Today, countries in all regions across the globe have put in place dedicated policies and measures to prevent ... more

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The Association of a Large-Scale Television Campaign with Exclusive Breastfeeding Prevalence in Vietnam

Tuan T. Nguyen, Silvia Alayón, Ann Jimerson, Danielle Naugle, Phuong H. Nguyen et al.

AJPH Research, volume 107, issue 2 (2023), pp. 312-318

"Objectives: To examine the association between exposure to breastfeeding television spots and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Methods: We performed face-to-face interviews with 11 722 mothers of infants younger than 6 months using 5 cross-sectional surveys 6 or more months apart between 2011 and 201 ... more

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Evaluating Use of Mass-Media Communication Intervention ‘MTV-Shuga’ on Increased Awareness and Demand for HIV and Sexual Health Services by Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa: An Observational Study

Natsayi Chimbindi, Nondumiso Mthiyane, Chidumwa, Thembelihle Zuma, Jaco Dreyer

BMJ Open, volume 13, issue e062804 (2023), 12 pp.

"Objective: To investigate the effect of exposure to 'MTV Shuga:Down South’ (MTVShuga-DS) during the scale-up of combination HIV-prevention interventions on awareness and uptake of sexual reproductive health (SRH) and HIV-prevention services by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) [...] Conclus ... more

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2023 Synthesis of UNESCO Evaluations

Meenakshi Sankar et al.

Paris: UNESCO (2023), 69 pp.

"The 2023 Synthesis of UNESCO evaluations draws on information contained in 36 evaluations – five corporate and 31 decentralized evaluations. The analysis shows that the Organization is making good progress in a range of areas including demonstrating a sharper focus on SDGs, developing fast as an ... more

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Impact Analysis of UNDP Lebanon Media and Peacebuilding Activities (2020-2022)

Beirut: Triangle Consulting; UNDP (2023), 87 pp.

"The UNDP “Peace Building in Lebanon” project has been working since 2007 on enhancing mutual understanding and social cohesion by addressing the root causes of conflict in Lebanon. The project’s third phase (2014-2022) built on the previous two phases and aimed to address new challenges to c ... ivil peace and peacebuilding in the country. In addition to the Syrian crisis, Lebanon is currently facing a severe socio-political, economic and fiscal crisis. The focus of this evaluation is the second output of the UNDP Peace Building in Lebanon project – the media component – which aimed to empower media to promote balanced and conflict-sensitive media coverage. This project component received funding from KFW and UKAID. Key project activities included countering fake news at national and local levels through a) capacity building and partnerships with media practitioners and b) training on hate speech and fake news for youth and their subsequent local awareness campaigns. The project activities also included providing positive media spaces and promoting rational discourse through a news supplement and its subsequent online platform, Salam wa Kalam. The report covers the projects’ duration from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. This evaluation relied on several data inputs, comprised of quantitative and qualitative data, analysis, and triangulation. The purpose of this final evaluation, commissioned by UNDP, is twofold. Firstly, assess the project’s performance and results according to the OECD-DAC criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, cross-cutting and its overall contribution to the UN strategic plan outcome 3.1: “Lebanon has institutionalized mechanisms to promote peace and prevent, mitigate, and manage conflict at national, municipal and community levels”. Secondly, ensure accountability, as well as identify and analyse findings and results to enable the incorporation of lessons learned and prepare recommendations that can be useful for the design of similar projects in the future and for organisational learning. In conclusion, UNDP’s project theory of change was relevant to Lebanon’s need to address the impact of fake news and hate speech on social cohesion. The media component aimed to improve intra-community relationships, including between Syrian refugees and host communities, in line with SDGs and LCRP goals. Lessons learned throughout the project were systematically documented to ensure effective and efficient management. The project adjusted its work plan to adapt to the changing context in Lebanon, such as COVID-19 and the fuel crisis. However, there was a lack of baseline data and defined metrics to measure and assess the project’s impact, especially on communities targeted by local awareness campaigns." (Executive summary) more

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Bridging the gap between classroom and newsroom: Experiences from collaboration of capacity building in media and academia

Jonas Nyman

Fojo Media Institute (2023), 13 pp.

"In spring of 2023 Fojo commissioned an internal report to map out the organisation’s past and present engagements with higher education institutions (HEIs) and academia. In autumn 2023 this report is being published as a Fojo Media Insight with the aim of sharing the organisational learning from ... more

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Moldova Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion, and Accountability (MEDIA-M): Performance Evaluation

Sergiu Galitchi, Victoria Rosa, Pavel Sarghi, Maia Giorbelidze

USAID; Integra Government Services International (2023), 134 pp.

"The purpose of evaluating the Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion, and Accountability in Moldova (MEDIA-M) activity is to assist the United States Agency for International Development in Moldova (USAID/Moldova) in understanding the extent to which the activity is on track to contribute to the Missi ... more

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Evaluation of EngageMedia’s Project ‘Digital Rights and Video for Change: Building the Movement in Southeast Asia’

Asmita Naik, Susan D. Tamondong

Sundbyberg: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) (2023), vi, 109 pp.

"This report presents a final evaluation of EngageMedia’s project «Digital Rights and Video for Change: Building the Movement in Southeast Asia», funded by the Embassy of Sweden Bangkok. The evaluation covered activities from September 2019 to August 2022 in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, ... more

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Meta-Synthesis of UN Women Evaluations on Advocacy and Communications

Ekaterina Dorodnykh, Soo Yeon Kim, Aileen Allen

New York; Independent Evaluation Service (IES): UN Women (2023), ix, 32 pp.

"This meta-synthesis collates evaluation insights and evidence on the advocacy and communications efforts related to the key results areas of UN Women’s Strategic Plan: Governance and Participation in Public Life; Women’s Economic Empowerment; Ending Violence Against Women; and Women, Peace and ... more

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Talking about poverty: Lessons learnt

York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF); Rights Evaluation Studio (2023), ii, 98 pp.

"The Talking about Poverty (TaP) project, which ran from 2016 to 2021, aimed to develop a more effective way of communicating about UK poverty through ‘framing’ – an evidence-based communications strategy. For this project, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) worked with the FrameWorks Instit ... ute, which is a not-for-profit communications research organisation based in the United States. In 2021, a sister organisation, FrameWorks UK, was established in the United Kingdom (UK), which focuses on supporting mission-driven organisations to apply strategic communications research in practice. The TaP project set out to understand the public’s attitudes to poverty in the UK and used insight from research with 20,000 people (Volmert et al, 2016) to develop ways to talk about poverty in a more effective way. To challenge the unhelpful narratives identified in the research, the project developed an evidence-based communications strategy (‘poverty framing’) to increase the public’s understanding of UK poverty and provide support for measures to address it. [...] There are some key development areas for future framing projects such as stronger project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability planning. However, the TaP project made PWLE who were engaged in the project feel more hopeful about the future and confident that the project would have a positive, accumulative effect on how poverty is being talked about in public discourse, with some indications that the project may have had some influence in the media and the House of Commons. The TaP project created a buzz in the third sector and was credited with helping to build a movement, leading to a more co-ordinated sector. While we identified a need and desire to engage the third sector and PWLE earlier on in the project, the vast majority of third sector partners and allies who were engaged in our evaluation both valued and used the framing in their work, crediting the framing with adding more dignity, positivity and effectiveness to their communications. The TaP project brought hundreds of organisations together for the Keep the Lifeline campaign and provided a robust and evidence-based communications strategy for their internal staff and external allies." (Executive summary, pages 3-6) more

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Evaluation finale: « Projet renforcement de la résilience communautaire à la désinformation dans les régions du nord et du centre du Mali »

Sékou Doumbia, Zoumana Kone

Search for Common Ground (2023), 57 pp.

"Les objectifs du projet cadrent bien avec un certain nombre de politiques ou stratégies comme décrit dans le présent rapport. A titre d’exemple, on citer la politique nationale de lutte contre le terrorisme et l’extrémisme violent dans son Pilier 1, ainsi que la stratégie nationale de la r ... more

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SACMID Evaluation: An Evaluation of SACMID’s Activities Within the PRIMED Project

Paco Mens, Akriti Saraswat

Free Press Unlimited (2023), 16 pp. + annexes

"The South Asia Center for Media in Development (SACMID), addresses gender disparity both within the workplace and media content. Its main focus is utilizing the Gender Media Monitoring Tool to tackle these issues. The data collected through media monitoring is subsequently employed for advocacy ini ... more